


You Would Be an Uzi

by PorcupineGirl



Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 20:06:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2241750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorcupineGirl/pseuds/PorcupineGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kristy hasn't seen Shannon Kilbourne in six years, but has some sad news to share with her. Shannon has already had some bad news of her own - but things just might work out between the two of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Would Be an Uzi

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SaraJaye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/gifts).



Kristy felt incredibly awkward standing in front of the familiar door. How many times had she knocked on it as a teenager? How many lifetimes ago was that? It seemed impossible that both the Kilbournes and the Thomas-Brewers still lived on this street so many years later, but here she was. She took a deep breath and knocked.

A familiar face, if bearing more wrinkles and grey hairs than she remembered, answered.

 "Is, um..." Kristy suddenly had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. She felt thirteen again, saying the words. "Is Shannon home, Mrs Kilbourne? I thought I saw her getting out of her car yesterday, is she in town?"

Shannon Kilbourne had moved to Boston for college and stayed there. Kristy herself had gone to UConn, but got a job offer in Philadelphia right out of school, where she still lived. At first, after they'd left for college, the two of them had hung out a few times on breaks, but they really hadn't talked at all in years. Nothing bad had happened; they'd just grown apart, like young adults do. Like Kristy had from most of her childhood friends. So it was understandable when Mrs Kilbourne looked surprised (though pleased, Kristy thought) at the request.

 "She is, actually! Wait just a minute - I think she'll be glad to see you, Kristy."

 Kristy smiled, but her heart wasn't in it. She hadn't come by just to hang out, unfortunately - it was a sad errand, though probably not as upsetting for Shannon as it was for Kristy and her family.

The door reopened, and Kristy was startled.

The last time she'd hung out with Shannon, they were what, nineteen? Adults legally, but not quite mentally, both of them still caught in the strain between who they had been and who they were becoming. Shannon had gained the freshman fifteen and was panicking about it, though Kristy had thought the extra weight looked good on her. But Shannon was feeling the pressure of being in a sorority; to Kristy it had been clear that having to fit into such a tight mold was wearing on her, but Shannon had still had to figure that out for herself.

From the brief glimpses Kristy occasionally got when they were both in Stoneybrook, she knew that Shannon had gained a bit more weight. She hadn't gotten a good look at just how confidently she'd grown into her new body, though. Sleek dark jeans hugged round, sensual hips that canted to one side as Shannon leaned on the door frame. Her breasts had clearly grown several cup sizes, and the ruched v-neck of the shirt she wore showcased them nicely. Though she had a bit of belly in front, her waist still nipped in at the sides to create an hourglass figure that instantly made Kristy's heart beat a little bit faster. Shannon's face had rounded out in a way that accentuated, rather than hid, her angular cheekbones, and the girl whom Kristy had always considered to be pretty but a bit odd-looking was now simply stunning.

"Kristy, hey! Long time no see!"

Kristy realized she'd been staring. "Um, hey! Yeah, long time - you look great!"

 Shannon smiled, suddenly looking shy. "Thanks. You want to come in?"

 "Sure, yeah." As she stepped past Shannon into the foyer, Kristy realized that in all her ogling she hadn't noticed the most important detail about Shannon - her red eyes. Kristy felt her stomach twist. "Oh no, hey, have you been crying? Are you okay? Is this a bad time?"

 Shannon shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. "No no no. I mean, yes, I was crying, but no, it's a great time to see an old friend. Perfect timing. Sit down! Let me get you a drink. Coke or iced tea?"

 "Oh, um, tea please," Kristy said distractedly as she took a seat on the Kilbournes' cushy couch.

  _Shit_ , she thought. She had never been good at comforting anyone who was crying, and here she was on a sad enough mission, delivering bad news to someone who looked like she'd already had enough of it. And on top of that, she was definitely staring at Shannon's ass as she went into the kitchen, despite the fact that it was absolutely _not_ the time to start thinking about getting a childhood friend into bed. Kristy took a deep breath while Shannon returned with two glasses of iced tea.

 Shannon settled onto the couch next to Kristy. "I ran into your mom when I was in town last summer, she said you were starting your own charity. No shock there, right? How's it going?"

Kristy was grateful for something pleasant to talk about, and always happy to gush about her latest venture. "Oh, it's going really well! There are a lot of kids in the neighborhood in Philly where I live who can't afford to do organized sports, but love to play pickup games and things like that. So of course, I couldn't resist that opportunity - there were already sports leagues, but I started a small nonprofit to give kids scholarships to pay their fees, buy uniforms and equipment for them to practice with, things like that. It's nothing huge, but we're supporting about twenty kids right now and it keeps them off the streets and gives them something to strive towards, y'know? I run some workshops for the kids who get the scholarships, on setting goals and remembering to practice, things like that."

"That is the most Kristy Thomas thing I have ever heard," Shannon laughed, shaking her head, "So is that your main job, or just a side thing?"

Kristy snorted. "I definitely do not make any money doing that. It's a labor of love. Nah, I took my education degree and started writing health curricula for a textbook company. I dunno if it's what I want to do long-term, but it's fun enough for now."

Shannon raised an eyebrow. "So you decided you didn't want to be a gym teacher yourself? I'm honestly kind of surprised."

Kristy shrugged and aimed a lopsided smile into her iced tea glass. "I guess I just felt like I'd be a big walking stereotype, y'know? Rebelled a little against being one more lesbian gym teacher. Maybe I'll get over it someday."

Both of Shannon's eyebrows raised at that, though only for a second. Kristy suddenly realized that the last time she and Shannon had spoken, the only person in Stoneybrook she'd been out to was Mary Anne. She shifted a little in her seat, hoping that Shannon was an exception in their stuffy, conservative childhood neighborhood.

A sly smile slid onto Shannon's lips, and Kristy thought she caught a bit of a twinkle in her eye as she sipped her tea and said, "Wow, I've missed a lot in the past six years, haven't I?"

Kristy gave her a relieved smile and shrugged. "Guess so. So what have you been up to?"

"I was doing web design for a startup, but in a few weeks I'm starting my Master's degree."

Kristy finished her tea. "Oh yeah? What are you getting the degree in?"

Shannon sat up a little straighter, a proud smile lighting up her face. "I'm going to the Media Lab at MIT to get a Master's in Media Arts and Science. I'd really like to go into game development. Maybe educational games."

Kristy gave her a small punch on the arm, laughing. "That's so cool! MIT, wow. Congrats!"

"Thanks, I'm really excited. So what brought you here today? Just catching up?"

Kristy bit her lip, not wanting to spoil the mood. "Yeah, no. Sadly. Sorry, I'm kind of here for a sorta depressing reason. Shannon - I mean, our dog Shannon - she's had cancer for a few months, and she's not doing well. We're actually taking the poor girl in to be put down in a couple of days and, well, since you gave her to us and she's your namesake and all, I thought maybe you'd want to say goodbye?" Kristy shrugged and shifted uncomfortably.  _This was a stupid idea,_ she thought,  _she doesn't want to say goodbye to a dog that's not even hers._

But Shannon was already looking misty-eyed. She reached out and put her hand on Kristy's. Kristy had to squelch the impulse to rub her thumb over Shannon's hand -  _not the time for flirting, Thomas_ she admonished herself.

"Kristy, that's so sweet! Yeah, definitely. I would love to." She looked at her watch. "Actually, now is a good time for me, is that okay?"

"Absolutely!" Kristy gave Shannon's hand a quick squeeze, and Shannon's return squeeze lingered  _just enough_ that Kristy's heart skipped a bit. She glanced up and the eye contact ran through her like a shock.  _Fuck, man, I've got it bad for Shannon fucking Kilbourne, don't I?_ Kristy thought as she tried to smile innocently. But when Shannon licked her lips just a little before letting go of her hand, Kristy couldn't help wondering if she'd been the only one to feel the shock.

Shannon stood up and took the glass out of Kristy's hand. "Let me wash these real quick and we can go, ok?"

"Sure, yeah!" Kristy stood up as well, wiping the condensation from the glass onto her jeans, not quite keeping herself from staring again at the very round, very well-defined bottom swinging its way into the kitchen. She didn't know much about jeans, but knowing Shannon they were probably designer and damn, did that designer know what they were doing.

Kristy waited by the front door as Shannon told her mother where she was going. Mrs Kilbourne poked her head in for a moment.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Kristy. I'm sure your family has given her a good life, though."

Kristy nodded. "Thanks, Mrs Kilbourne. We've definitely tried." Then she ducked out the door with Shannon behind her.

Once they were headed across the Kilbournes' yard, Kristy glanced over at Shannon. This certainly wasn't her forte, but if she was reconnecting with an old friend she might as well take a stab at it.

"So, sorry to bring more sad news. It looked like you were already not having a great day. Do you, uh... need to talk?" Kristy hoped to God she sounded less awkward than she felt.

Shannon laughed and shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "It's no big deal. Just a breakup. We hadn't even been dating for that long, like a couple months. It was just kind of sudden and out of the blue, and... well, by text message, so I was pretty pissed about that."

Kristy's jaw dropped. "He dumped you via text? That asshole! Do you need me to come up to Boston and rough him up? I'm serious, by the way, I have a blanket policy of punching any douchebags who break up with my friends via text or email."

Shannon laughed and looked over at Kristy as they crossed the street. "Well, her name is Erica. I can give you her address if you really want."

Kristy felt her cheeks warm as she let that sink in. She was in town for three more days; she suddenly wondered when Shannon was returning to Boston.

She glanced sideways at Shannon and raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like we've got a lot of catching up to do."

She was gratified to see Shannon giving her what was definitely a rather suggestive grin. "We sure do. You free for dinner tonight?"

 


End file.
